Special thanks to Taqqee Khabir for manning the mixing desk; to Steve Caldwell and Nextwave Media Lab for going above and beyond the call of duty with the audio assist; to Nancy Schoenheide-Phares for being the best publicist in Michigan; to the folks at Fox 2 for having us on, and for Toast Ferndale for the great post show victory breakfast.

They call it “The Sounds of Albion,” but reading the list of bands set to play this year’s “Festival of the Forks” is like globetrotting.

The annual fest kicks off Friday in downtown Albion and runs through Saturday. Sixteen musical acts are booked to play four stages over the two-day event. Jazz, oldies, reggae, blues, funk, soul, tejano and the sounds of the Middle East will be performed by acts from around the Albion area and around the state.

Wrapping up the Saturday set on Center Stage is Detroit’s Nadir Omowale and his Distorted Soul, a confluence of sound on his own.